


Twinning is Winning

by persephoneregina



Category: ATEEZ (Band), ONEUS (Band)
Genre: Adoption, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blow Jobs, Bot San, Celebrations, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Christmas Smut, Come as Lube, Dads AU, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, Happy Ending, Love, M/M, Main ship: San/Geonhak, Oral Sex, Original Character(s), Raising children, Rough Sex, Slice of Life, Smut, Work Up For Adoption, adoptive children, fathers au, lots of kisses, parenting, soft, top geonhak, twin daughters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:54:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28663506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/persephoneregina/pseuds/persephoneregina
Summary: “Aren’t you creating them some sort of abandonment trauma, with this nursery rhyme?” Geonhak asked, teasing, while he knelt down and grabbed one duck himself.“All nursery rhymes are like this! I grew up with Humpty Dumpty and Ring Around The Rosie and turned out into a perfectly functioning adult. But what do I know, I’m not the early education expert here...” San replied, in a whisper, giving him a playful eye roll and sinking his hand in the tub, only to pull it out, in a flash, covered in foam, and blowing into Geonhak’s direction, who found himself having to defend his face from the sudden bubbles’ attack. Nose scrunched, eyes closed in happy crescents, muffled giggles coming out of his lips, Geonhak let San have his way, but only for a second: right afterwards, he reached for the water with his palm and splashed it in San’s face.“Daddy’s foamy!” Soojin giggled, pointing with her small, chubby finger at San.“Yes, angel, daddy is foamy!” He said, before answering Geonhak's attack with another splash.Apparently, the twins found their little show particularly amusing, because they started laughing along, at once, sounding like perfect joy.
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Son Dongju | Xion, Choi San/Kim Geonhak | Leedo, Jeong Yunho/Lee Keonhee, Jung Wooyoung/Kang Yeosang, Kim Hongjoong/Kim Youngjo | Ravn, Lee Seoho/Park Seonghwa, Song Mingi/Yeo Hwanwoong
Comments: 16
Kudos: 14





	Twinning is Winning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Keieri](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keieri/gifts).



> Hello everyone!!!
> 
> My last, belated present for these holidays goes to one of my closest, dearest, most beloved friends, Keieri.  
> Not only is she an amazing artist, but she is also the sweetest person in the whole universe and I adore her with all of my being.  
> I love you so much, Eri. You mean the world to me, and I don't even know where the hell would I be if I didn't have you in my life.  
> Thank you for always being by my side with all of your love, your support, your friendship, your closeness.
> 
> I hope you will enjoy this little SanHak AU I wrote, a little out of my alley as for setting and tropes, but I still hope you'll find it in you to love it, nonetheless.  
> Have a pleasant read and, if you will, please remember to toss a comment to your local rarepair gremlin!

# Twinning is Winning

# 

## Or, of family, of love, of justice and of not committing crimes.

## 

Christmas at San and Geonhak’s place has always been an incredibly magical day, even before they had welcomed Sooyun and Soojin into their lives. They used to have a dinner party on the night of Christmas Eve, and an even bigger lunch on Christmas, where they would invite all of their friends, eat lots of delicious food, sing Christmas carols and exchange gifts. That year, though, they had to reconsider everything and scale up whichever their plans had been, in the past: it was their first Christmas as fathers, since they had gotten custody of the twin baby girls last January, and they really wanted it to be memorable in every single way.

The preparations, that year, had begun a lot earlier than usual. That was mostly because, if sorting out everything needed for the proper celebrations already was a task that took them at least two weeks, doing the same things, while also taking care of the two baby girls and having half the energies, clearly demanded more time. Not like they weren’t used to having to deal with having too many things on their plate, but since they had the twins, no one of them ever complained about a thing. They had wanted them too much to even perceive the downsides of parenthood, and faced all the challenges in front of them enthusiastically. In spite of the initial hardships, Geonhak and San were so head over heels for their two babies that no sacrifice was too much, from the sleepless nights to the hours spent trying to feed them, from changing diapers to reading books upon books of fairytales for a countless amount of time. Nothing seemed to let their spirits down, nothing was too frustrating, or tiring, or boring, because they worked as a team and, most importantly, they kept on having fun, together, in the process. It seemed like being parents came natural to them and, under a certain perspective, it was indeed true. They always knew, from the moment they had moved in together, that they wanted to become parents. When they got married and it came to buying a house, they chose to invest in an accommodation that was way bigger than the other ones they had visited and that could have perfectly met their needs, in anticipation of finally entering the adoption program. 

It could have been very well said that everything they did was in order to meet the standards required to be eligible for custody of a child: they had taken care of nearly every possible detail as meticulously as possible, had met dozens of social workers, been evaluated by different psychologists and experts in early education, filled in piles and piles of paperwork, even went so many times to the Juvenile Court that they almost knew its corridors by heart and were so familiar with the secretaries that they called them by their names. It could have been said that they had gone through every single step of the procedure without ever showing, at least to the outer world, the slightest sign of distress, of intemperance, of impatience, of resignation, of anger for the interminable bureaucratic and legalistic practices. 

What happened between the walls of their home, though, was a whole other thing, only for the two of them to handle. There were days when they would come back, so drained and disheartened, that all they could do was flop on their bed, holding each other tight, kissing away the tears and softly murmuring, in the twilight, where sleep and wake would meddle, that everything would have been alright, in the end. That they should not have renounced all hope. That their time, too, would have come. That it was taking them so much time because the universe wanted to find the perfect child for them, and maybe all the other children it had had in its hands, until then, happened to surely be the perfect ones, just for other families. 

“Life makes no mistakes, love.” San said, trying to resort to every ounce of faith he could find in his heart, even if it meant having to fake it. “We should always put our trust in what the universe has in store for us. Because I’m sure we have not been forgotten. I’m sure the time will come for us, too, to be happy.” Then, he would gently kiss Geonhak’s lids and hold him close to his chest, nurturing him, who looked tougher on the outside, but who was way more open about his suffering in the privacy of their relationship, like he nurtured his own hope for a brighter tomorrow.

“But when?” Geonhak would have asked, when he was particularly broken, feeling ashamed of himself, for collapsing so hard under the stress and the pressure and the strain he knew way too well they both were experiencing, and for the way he understood that, even though indirectly, he was depriving San of his own right to mourn. If something, that was a thought that made him feel even worse, because he knew they were both going through that same experience, and yet he would always be the first to crumble. He would always be the one who seemed to have it worse. And while he was going through all of that, San, ever so graciously, swallowed his tears, which he would have later released, when he would have thought that Geonhak was already soundly asleep, in order to be there to comfort him in any way he humanly could.

Though their suffering was, at times, devastating and disheartening, what both San and Geonhak tried to keep in mind, in the meantime, was that they should have never, for no reason, ever, given up on each other or on their dream of becoming parents. Even when the tension was over the roof, when they wished they could have crushed all the dishes and the glasses in their house, when they only wanted to burst out in tears and to scream out all of their despair, there was a voice, in the back of their minds, that reminded them to still be kind with each other. To support each other. To love each other. After all, they made an oath, when they got married:  _ for better, for worse, til death do us part _ , and that oath meant more than any of their individual feelings, in those darkest moments, ever could. So, they picked themselves up every time they fell, and never ceased to believe and to support each other, however they could. It surely would have been of no help to turn one against the other, or to become furious at the excruciatingly long waiting lists of the Court, even though, sometimes, it could have been very tempting. They waited, and waited, and waited, until, that freezing January morning, while they were still half asleep and hadn’t even had their coffee yet, their phone rang and Hyojin, the social worker who had been following their case from the beginning and with whom they were most familiar, informed them that they were going to be parents of not one, but two baby girls. Sooyun and Soojin, their belated Christmas miracle. Geonhak still remembered being so in shock that he started crying and fell down on his knees, while San caught the phone, before it would hit the ground. Hyojin kept talking, but her words sounded almost meaningless to their ears, nothing making sense anymore after she said the names of the girls, so much that San had to ask her about the steps to follow three more times, since he couldn’t memorise anything, after that. When they hung up, no one of them dared to say a single word. They both sat still, with their backs against the kitchen’s counter, tears of joy and incredulity streaming from their eyes, until Geonhak laid his head to rest on San’s shoulder, a shy smile hesitantly unfurling the corners of his lips. 

“We made it.” He said, sniffing and rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand. “We made it. We made it.”

San tried to answer. He really did. And he knew he was supposed to be happy, but the truth was he couldn’t understand himself how he felt or what he felt, for that matter. All he knew was that, the following second, he was whimpering, uncontrollably, and sighing, and shaking, and gasping for air, his rib cage shattered by ferocious sobs and heart overwhelmed by a thousand waves of contrasting emotions. Everything he had held inside, for all that time, was now surfacing in an eruption of feelings he couldn’t get a hold of: the exhaustion, the weariness, the anguish, the endless expectations, the sleepless nights, the hopelessness, the sorrow, it was all coming back to him in its overpowering force. But then, Geonhak passed his arm around his shoulders and dragged him close to his chest, burying his face on his heart, where he could feel his warmth, where he could hear his breath, where he could grasp to the ever reassuring sound of his heartbeat and be reminded that, once and for all, their wait was over. That it was real. Geonhak held him until he was sure that San was calmer, and even then, he only slightly loosened his embrace, completely encompassing San’s small frame by wrapping his legs and arms around him and rocking him back and forth, while tenderly kissing the warm skin of his neck, his earlobes, his hair, his forehead. San opposed no resistance. Though he would, more often than not, be the one to conceal his real emotions, in order to not make Geonhak worry, that time he just curled up against him and let himself go. The truth was he had been in need of that kind of comfort for way too long, and, even if he didn’t like to admit it, all he wanted was to be in Geonhak’s arms and forget about the world. And so he did. While the world seemed to pause, allowing them to take a breath and figure out reality, San used his last strengths to latch, with his fingers, as tight as he could to the strings of Geonhak’s sweatshirt, and sank with his whole face in his neck. Geonhak smelled sweet. He smelled sweet and familiar, and that was enough, for San, to feel immediately calmer and reassured. They had made it, and everything was going to be alright. It had to.

Though eleven months had passed, ever since they had received custody of the girls, there was still no news from the Juvenile Court as for their adoption practice. Of course, San and Geonhak tried not to overthink it or to worry more than necessary about it, but still, the thought of losing their babies, of having them taken from them, made them feel like they were never capable to ever fully experience happiness, accomplishment, serenity: the fear of their idyll being broken for any sort of reason kept crawling in the back of their minds, at the most unimaginable times, and it threw them in a state of panic that seemed to never know an ending. Yet, they had undergone an uncountable amount of spot checks, inspections, interviews, hearings, psychological and sanitary examinations, so on and so forth that they didn’t know what else they could have possibly needed to know about them. The whole procedure was taking so incredibly long that, if possible, it appeared to be even more excruciating than before, since now they knew how immensely happy the life with their girls was, and having them taken away from them was the cruelest possibility they could ever imagine.

Indeed, their friends tried to show them all of their support, especially Seoho, who actually worked in Chancery and had very clear how long the Court could take to approve those sorts of practices.

They tried to cling to every glimmer of hope presented to them, even though, sometimes, it was harder than they thought. After all, hope and patience had been their lucky charms, so far. They might have as well still had faith and held on. 

Even more so, they agreed that they wouldn’t have allowed those feelings to ruin Soojin and Sooyun’s first Christmas with them.

“You keep stirring the chocolate pudding, I’ll go wake up the girls.” Geonhak whispered to San’s ear, as he bent his head down a little to kiss him from the back and handed him the wooden spoon with which he was cooking.

“Mmmkay…” San mindlessly replied, sticking the spoon in his mouth and pulling it out squeaky clean, after licking all the residues of pudding on it. 

“Don’t finish it!” Geonhak said, from the corridor. He knew way too well that, when it came to having a sweet tooth, he had to deal with  _ three  _ babies, instead of two, and it wouldn’t have been the first time he found San eating bites of baby food. 

“I won’t!” He answered, as he took another spoonful of pudding. There was plenty of it, anyway, and it was not like anyone was going to notice if he only took another small spoon of it…

“What are you doing?” Geonhak asked, as soon as he got back to the kitchen, holding both of their girls, with their soft, fleece, bunny onesies, in his arms. “What did I tell you?”

“Hmmm… To keep stirring the pudding?” San innocently murmured, flapping his lashes, while slowly pulling the spoon out of his mouth and placing it near the stove to go and help Geonhak. Ever so delicately, he held Soojin in his arms and kissed the round tip of her tiny nose, making her giggle. “Good morning, princess.” He chanted, while carefully placing her on one of the two baby-chairs. “Good morning to you, too, angel.” San added, turning to Sooyun and caressing her cheek. “Look at what daddy cooked for you!”

“Pudding!” Soojin cheerfully chirped, enthusiastic about her favourite breakfast. Most children love sweets, but damn did she love chocolate. As soon as she was put to sit on her baby-chair, she began to waddle and make grabbing gestures, with her tiny hands, towards the steaming pot. “Want! Want! Want! Daddy, pudding!”

“Just a moment, baby…” Geonhak softly said, as he went to scoop the pudding into two bowls, decorated with pastel kittens all around the edge, to let it chill. He checked the temperature with one finger, before deeming it was still too hot, and then leaned across the kitchen’s counter to give San a sloppy kiss, playfully sucking both his upper and lower lip, in turns, while hardly containing the laughter. “You absolute disgrace,” He giggled, amused, “There’s chocolate all over your face!”

“Sorry,” San whined, in his usual baby voice (the one he would use whenever he made a mess), pressing his forehead against Geonhak’s and rubbing them together, “ ‘t was too good…”

“It’s ok, there should be enough for you, too…  _ Baby _ …” Geonhak emphasised, before leaving a kiss on San’s forehead and going back to checking the temperature of the pudding for the girls. “Sooyunie… Open up for dad… Nooooom…” He said, while twirling the little spoon in the air, mimicking an airplane, to catch Sooyun’s attention. “Noooooom…” Sooyun repeated, sweetly, after him. 

By the time he was approaching her mouth with a spoonful of chocolate pudding, Sooyun had her mouth wide opened, in awe, and she happily swallowed that bite, her eyes glistening and hands slamming on the plastic tray of the baby-chair. “Oooh, hungry, aren’t we?” He smiled, as he filled up the spoon with more pudding. Meanwhile, San was feeding Soojin, who needed way less ceremonials than Sooyun, when it came to eating and just happily clapped her hands, between one spoon and the other, to let her dad know she was definitely loving the pudding. Then, out of the blue, Sooyun decided that she had enough and, when Geonhak was about to serve her one more bite, she swayed her hand against the spoon and splattered pudding all over his face, then bursting out in a loud, chirping laughter, shortly followed by her sister. Geonhak took a deep breath and pressed his lips together, while San grabbed a towel and proceeded to remove the clumps of pudding from his hair, forehead and eyes. He tried to remain as neutral as he could, but the squinting face he was making eventually made San give up every ounce of self control he had and join the girls in their uncontrollable laughter, earning himself an eloquent glare from Geonhak.

“Come, all the three of you!” San said, standing up from the stool he was sitting on and getting Sooyun and Soojin in his arms, while walking towards the bathroom. “Let’s get you cleaned up. Bath time!” 

“No bath, daddy! No bath!” Sooyun muttered, while chewing on a piece of San’s shirt and grabbing tightly on the fabric, to provide herself for  _ more shirt _ to chew on.

Geonhak didn’t follow right away. He spent a few seconds looking at them, endeared, shaking his head while his heart fluttered at that delightful sight. No matter what he said, the way San spoke to the twins, using a higher pitch, melodious, voice register, made them look at him in awe, all giddy and excited, no matter what he was telling them. He just had a way, with them, that charmed them and made them instinctively eat out of his hand. After all, Geonhak thought, smiling, San had always been a charmer. He would know: San had made his way into his heart, overcoming his shyness, his quiet nature, his insecurities and unfolding in front of his eyes a world of wonder, just by being there for him and never leaving his side. San taught him to dream and to believe, so much that, at times, Geonhak had to stop and check that he was real, and not some sort of fairy crafted by his imagination. He kept on smiling, mindlessly, caught up in his reflections, and got teary eyed when he arrived in front of the bathroom's door and saw his whole world encompassed in such a small room. There, sitting on the floor, San was happily singing a nursery rhyme to their babies, who were sitting in the tub, coated with baby bath foam, while he was playing with some rubber ducks.

“ _ Five little ducks went swimming one day _

_ Over the pond and far away _

_ Mother duck said quack quack quack quack! _

_ But only four little ducks came back… _ ”

“Quack quack quack quack!” Sooyun and Soojin repeated, again and again and again, splashing their hands in the water, to encourage San to go on.

“Aren’t you creating them some sort of abandonment trauma, with this nursery rhyme?” Geonhak asked, teasing, while he knelt down and grabbed one duck himself.

“All nursery rhymes are like this! I grew up with Humpty Dumpty and Ring Around The Rosie and turned out into a perfectly functioning adult. But what do I know, I’m not the early education expert here...” San replied, in a whisper, giving him a playful eye roll and sinking his hand in the tub, only to pull it out, in a flash, covered in foam, and blowing into Geonhak’s direction, who found himself having to defend his face from the sudden bubbles’ attack. Nose scrunched, eyes closed in happy crescents, muffled giggles coming out of his lips, Geonhak let San have his way, but only for a second: right afterwards, he reached for the water with his palm and splashed it in San’s face.

“Daddy’s foamy!” Soojin giggled, pointing with her small, chubby finger at San.

“Yes, angel, daddy is foamy!” He said, before answering Geonhak's attack with another splash.

Apparently, the twins found their little show particularly amusing, because they started laughing along, at once, their loud and crystalline snickering sounding like perfect joy.

After a couple more minutes, spent playing together, they went back to making sure both Sooyun and Soojin were perfectly cleaned up, washing them up with extremely delicate and gentle movements and tickling them, ever so often, to keep making them smile in the meantime. Nothing was worse than an upset baby in the bathtub, they had figured: they would suddenly start making rushed movements, risking to slip out of their hands, and the last thing they wanted was for them to get injured or have a domestic accident. So, they tried to put as much care and attention into every single thing they did when they were bathing them, so that the girls would remain calm and relaxed until the end.

“Come on, let’s dry them up.” Geonhak said, giving a gentle nudge at San’s waist, before delicately grabbing Sooyun under her armpits and wrapping her up in a towel he took from their towel warmer. “Before they start screaming because the water is getting cold…”

“Yeah, you’re right.” San nodded, imitating Geonhak’s gestures with Soojin. “We better come up with some games to keep them interested, too.”

“I’m alright with everything, as long as I don’t have to be a pony. Or a lion. Or a monster...AAAAAAAH!” He loudly wailed, and San immediately rushed to him, only to find that his husband’s finger was tightly trapped in Sooyun’s loving bite. While Geonhak was silently agonising, Sooyun dug her tiny teeth in his flesh, again, much to Soojin’s entertainment.

“Honey, please, would you mind giving daddy his finger back? He really needs it…” San tried to kindly intercede for Geonhak and to convince their daughter to let go of her atrociously strong bite.

“But fingews good!” Sooyun whined, and Soojin took the chance to lean in, from San’s arms, and bite Geonhak’s other hand as well.

“Jesus…” Geonhak hissed, squinting his eyes, his face distorted in a mask of pure pain as he tried to keep his composure as much as he could, but doing a miserable job at it. “Please… Girls… Please… Let daddy go…” He begged, forcing his voice to bend to a more cheerful tone, yet resulting in a weird, distorted and disturbingly high pitched verse. 

“Now, now, come on. Sooyun, Soojin, biting is not polite and this game is not funny. Let daddy go this minute, or I will have to take Sally the Seal and Manny the Mammoth away from you for the whole afternoon.” As soon as they heard San speaking to them in a firmer tone, both the girls immediately let go of Geonhak. San was never the one to impose a strict discipline or to scold the girls, but they understood right away when they had to stop whatever they were doing from the shifting tone of his voice. Geonhak, instead, was way softer with them and found it hard to put an end to their shenanigans, in spite of his, sometimes, grumpier attitude. Much like a king sized teddy bear, Geonhak was all theirs to play with: the girls would spend entire afternoons climbing on his back, munching on his fingers, pulling his clothes, ruffling his hair, pinching or squishing his cheeks to make his face turn into the weirdest expressions, those and so much more were just the ordinary, at their house, and Geonhak wouldn’t even flinch. Most of the time, he would have almost more fun than them, and if he really had to make them stop, the most he would have done would have been a loud scoff or a benevolent reprimand. San was usually the one that came into play when there were some limitations to stick to and, so far, this system had worked just fine for them. But now that both of the girls were teething at the same time, it was sort of harsh to keep their reflexes under control, especially because, as twins, they not only had very similar biorhythms and reactions, but they also tended to mimic each other a lot, even in the way with which they seeked relief for their teething pain. Needless to say, most of the time it resulted in a massacre for Geonhak’s poor fingers.

“Darn are they strong…” He stressed, after putting Sooyun down, to let her and Soojin play with their plushies, while he and San had their late breakfast.

“I mean… You could say that Dongju tried to warn you…” San replied, with an eloquent eyebrow raise, as he took a spoonful of the -now cold- pudding and shoved it in his mouth.

“You can bet he did, I just thought babies wouldn’t have been able to bite that hard. But the girls actually make him seem delicate.” Geonhak snickered, still checking out the small, red marks glowing on his hands, before he took a bite of grilled chicken and then some brown rice.

“Can’t you make an exception to your diet, at least today and tomorrow?” San asked, furrowing his brows, as he stared at his husband’s breakfast with a gaze that was both admired, for his strict sense of discipline, and, yet, mildly saddened. 

“I will.” He replied, waving the fork in the air and looking at San as if that question made absolutely no sense. “For tonight’s dinner and tomorrow’s lunch. But you know I have to compensate.”

“Whatever you say… But let me tell you- you’re missing out. This pudding is heavenly.” San said, shrugging and going back to his pudding bowl. “So, did you get the Santa dress for tonight?”

“Yeah, I even brought it to the dry cleaning, just to be sure I don’t catch fleas or rabies or, who knows, the Black Plague.” Geonhak sighed and nodded his head, still munching on his food.

“Don’t be so dramatic! I’m sure it had been perfectly sanitized before.” San replied, pressing his lips together, while he gave Geonhak a mildly polemic side-eye glare. “Come on, love, don’t be a big baby… The girls will love it so much! Try to think about this. You are going to make them have such a magical time!” Then, he threw both of his hands around Geonhak’s neck and pulled him closer, to loudly kiss his cheek and nuzzle their noses together.

“You know I already promised you I will do it, so no need to convince me any further.” Of course, Geonhak wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about having to dress up… Well, actually, he loathed the idea wholeheartedly, but, at the same time, he surely was not going to be the one to make the girls have a Christmas celebration without Santa, so, even though he was not looking forward for that, eventually he had given up under the pressure of San’s pleadings. Furthermore, he and San had agreed that they would have done Santa in turns, which basically meant that the little shit should have known better but to tease him, if he didn’t want to be repaid with his same treatment, since the following year it would have been his time to roam around the house with an itchy fake beard and a fuzzy costume.

“Well, maybe Santa might get a special present, too, tonight…” San whispered in Geonhak’s ear, careful to not be heard by Sooyun and Soojin, who were still playing with their plushies on the fuzzy carpet in the living room, without a care in the world.

“Hmm… Really? And what would it be?” Geonhak softly purred, against the warm, sensitive skin of San’s neck, before pulling him against his body and grabbing with both hands on the firm cheeks of his husband’s ass, making him squirm, pleasantly surprised by the bluntness of his initiative. 

“Now, now… You know how it works… You’ll have to wait until midnight to unwrap your present.” San replied, getting on his tiptoes and teasingly licking Geonhak’s upper lip, before he indulged in it with more, slower, warmer kisses. 

“I guess I’ll have to be patient, then. But look at us,” Geonhak said, smiling, as he nodded with his head in the babies’ direction, “Patience is one of our best virtues.” Then, he wrapped both of his hands around San’s lean waist and lovingly held him into the warm embrace of his arms, while sprinkling his forehead with sweet pecks.

“It really is…” San agreed, lost in the sight of his husband’s eyes, glowing with perfect joy and lulled by the sound of their babies’ giggles. “I love that. I love us.” He then murmured, resting his head on Geonhak’s chest.

“I love us too.” He answered, holding San a little tighter, incapable to express otherwise the feeling of absolute warmth and fuzziness he was getting, as he basked in the blissful sight of such a scenario of perfect, indescribable happiness unfolding right in front of his eyes.

* * *

  
  


After lunch, the time had come, for Geonhak and San, to take up one of the most demanding tasks of the day: putting the twins to sleep for their afternoon nap. Needless to say, that was a titanic enterprise and not always destined to success, and it generally took place in different locations of the house. Some days, the twins would fall asleep while being held in their arms, as they slowly walked around. Other times, they needed complete darkness and silence to sleep. Other times again, they wanted to be hugged as San and Geonhak sat, motionless, on the sofa, and started throwing the most desperate tantrums at the slightest alteration in their posture. Basically, it was a huge Russian roulette: every day, the twins would be in a completely different mood, and the techniques that seemed to be flawlessly efficient the previous day, suddenly had no effect anymore.

They had already tried rocking them in their arms, putting them in their cribs, making them listen to carillons, and so on and so forth, when Geonhak flopped on the sofa, exhausted, while Soojin, completely ignoring all of his efforts, tightly pulled locks of his hair. In the meantime, San had wrapped Sooyun against his chest, using the baby carrier Seonghwa had gifted them a few months ago, with the promise that it would have turned helpful in making the babies relax, and San really wanted to believe the words of his hyung, even though, up until that moment, they had proven to be anything but true. At least, it allowed him to have some sort of liberty, since he could keep one of the girls close, while he cleaned up and ran other errands around the house.

“Babe, mind making me a coffee, please?” Geonhak lamented, from the living room. He had never been a coffee kind of person, but damn did parenthood change that about him. San could feel the defeat making its way in the tone of his voice, as he answered back something on the lines of: “Coming right up!”

When the coffee was ready, he headed towards the sofa, as well, curled up next to his husband and a still very energetic and playful Soojin, and handed him a steaming cup of coffee. 

“Thank you… I don’t get why they can’t seem to calm down, today. It’s almost as if they’re on caffeine, too.” Geonhak sighed, after he took one sip, wrapping one of his arms around San’s shoulders and relaxedly letting his fingers dangle around his arm, to fidget with the hem of his shirt and caress his skin with his fingertips. “Do you think some chamomile might help?”

“Hm… I’d rather have them calming down with our help, if we can. They might fall asleep too soundly and I don’t want them to be too drowsy for dinner. Hand me that book over there, will you?” San said, while patting on Sooyun’s back, soft and slow.

“But those are my Lovecraft novels, you’ll give them nightmares!” Geonhak protested, but handed San the book nonetheless.

“At this point, maybe only the Great Old Ones can help.” San replied, flashing an amused smile: it was a completely nonsensical idea, but it’s not like the babies made any more sense when they fell asleep at the sound of the hairdryer or of the vacuum cleaner. It was still worth a try.

So, while Geonhak laid down, with his head on San’s lap and Soojin all curled up on his stomach, back to mischief as she chewed his finger, relentlessly, San began to read, in the calmest and softest voice he could pull off. Surprisingly enough, when he wasn’t even ten pages into The Call of Cthulhu, not only the twins had fallen in the deepest slumber, but so had Geonhak, who was now loudly snoring, soothed by the relaxing rhythm of San’s narration and the irresistible way with which he knew Geonhak adored being tickled on his scalp. 

“Well, well, well… Looks like anything but nightmares, to me.” San whispered to himself, with a satisfied smirk, stretching his back against the sofa and taking a couple minutes for himself, to really contemplate the sight of the loves of his life resting so peacefully it looked almost unreal. He found himself smiling like a child at the adorable spectacle of Soojin, sleeping with Geonhak’s fingertip still in her mouth for a good half, small saliva bubbles glistening on his skin, and Sooyun’s pink cheeks being pushed upwards by a smile deriving from the dream she was having. He even kept on smiling when she kicked him in the ribs, taking his breath away, as he tried to remain perfectly still to not disturb her. Even more so, he tenderly smiled at the way with which Geonhak rubbed his head against his thighs, to find a more comfortable position, while his brows furrowed and a cute, rosy pout formed on his lips, until he managed to find a nice spot and all of his facial muscles distended as well, in a serene, blissful expression.

San didn’t dare to make a move and, at last, he figured it would have been good for him to rest a little, too, now that he could.

He took a deep sigh and, in the moment he closed his eyes, a fugacious thought, to which he clinged to with all of his heart, crossed his mind: if heaven existed, it had to be that. An eternal state of bliss in which he, Geonhak, Sooyun and Soojin, would have been together, with all of their love, until the end of times, and, most importantly, where no lawyer, social worker, psychiatrist or judge could have threatened to destroy their happiness. Yes, if heaven existed, it had to be that moment of unbreakable perfection, with his universe so sweetly enclosed in the intimacy of his embrace, and the firm, unwavering conviction that he would have never allowed anything or anyone to harm them.

A couple hours later, San was woken up by Sooyun’s typical wailing, the one that came right before her high pitched scream, inaugurating a new crying crisis. 

“Sh, sh, sh, what’s going on, angel?” San sweetly murmured, kissing her forehead, as he gently moved Geonhak’s head from his thigh to stand up and calm her down. “Do you need to drink? Are you thirsty?” He asked, but realised really soon that she was definitely not thirsty and more in need of a diaper change. “Come on, let’s get you changed, baby. Don’t cry, don’t cry, daddy’s here. Here, look at the little stars…” San said, as soon as she had her laid down on the changing table, trying to distract Sooyun with the little, jingling plastic stars hanging from the wall.

“Twinkle twinkle little star, daddy loves you, near or far…” San started to sing, making up the words when he couldn’t remember them, tickling the baby’s tummy, to make her giggle, while he threw away the diaper and promptly grabbed the wet wipes, with a smooth gesture he had developed a lot of practice with. “Up above the world you fly, daddy’s with you, lows or highs…”

“Daddy?” Sooyun called him, while he was patting a small cloud of baby talc on her, before putting her in a new diaper.

“Yes, angel?” He asked, pausing whatever he was doing to give her his utmost attention. “Is everything ok?”

“Yes.” Sooyun answered, a bright smile lighting up her face, as she stretched her hands in San’s direction to stick her fingers in his dimples, making both happily giggle in that moment of absolute softness. “I love you, daddy.” She sweetly chanted, in a delightful way that made San’s heart nearly burst with overflowing waves of love. 

“I love you too. So, so, so much.” San replied, kissing her tiny nose and then, after putting on her a brand new diaper, blowing a loud raspberry on her tummy. “Come on, let’s go wake up dad and Soojin. Shall we?” He asked, looking at Sooyun with a glance of complicity. 

“Dad! DAD! DAAAAAAAAAD!” Sooyun screamed, as soon as her and San went back to the living room, almost giving him a stroke on the spot and making Geonhak roll on the floor from the sofa, a loud thud echoing in the room, while some sort of feline reflex made sure that he managed to still hold a half asleep Soojin up in the air, with both hands.

“Sorry, babe, that was not what I had in mind when I suggested Sooyun to come and wake you up.” San explained, putting Sooyun back on the sofa and picking up Soojin from Geonhak’s hands.

“I figured.” He replied, as he stood up, massaging his hurt butt. “Doesn’t mean you won’t be held accountable for your crimes, later.” Geonhak added, grabbing San’s hand and elegantly making him twirl into his arms.

“My crimes?” San asked, raising an eyebrow, as he tried to look at Geonhak with his most innocent face, flapping his lashes ever so often to endorse his absolute innocence.

“Instigation and complicity in attempted murder, of course.” Geonhak stared at San, as serious as he possibly managed to look, but couldn’t hold the laughter much longer and ended up giving into an outburst of laughter and smooches all over his adorable face. “You have been caught, oppose no resistance to my kisses or be ready for more cuddles!”

With a loud squeal, San was dragged down on the sofa by Geonhak and, there, he fell victim of a ferocious tickling attack perpetrated by his husband and daughters, who kept on tickling his waist and neck, until San was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes and needed to gasp for air. “I surrender! I surrender!” He wheezed, throwing his hands in the air, before he wrapped them around both of his daughters and brought them both close to his chest, to kiss their soft, rosy cheeks. 

“Ok, girls, I have an idea,” Geonhak began to speak, as he picked them up from San’s arms, “Why don’t you two make one of your very special drawings for uncle Seoho and uncle Seonghwa, before they arrive, while daddy and I prepare dinner?”

“Uncle Ddeoho and uncle Ddeonghwa!!!” Soojin happily cheered, and Sooyun chimed in right after, while Geonhak placed some sheets and crayons on top of the tea table for them to play with.

Of course, the girls were very fond of all of their friends and always looked forward to seeing them, but Seoho and Seonghwa were the ones they spent the most time with, since they lived just a couple blocks away from their house and often came to visit them. On top of that, whenever they dropped by, they made sure to bring some small presents for the twins, such as dolls, plushies, coloured markers, puzzles, clothes, so on, and always stayed, afterwards, to play with them for hours. They were also very glad to babysit them, when San and Geonhak had medical checkups or needed to go shopping, for groceries, or furniture, or home appliances, in places that would have resulted in being too stressful for such young children. Moreover, they always suggested fun things to do with the girls: Seoho loved to organise easy and child-friendly scientific experiments, and entertained them by crafting slimes or play-doh at home, while Seonghwa, who had always been known for having the patience of a saint, taught them new songs, which they were then very enthusiastic to show to San and Geonhak when they came back home, so much for their eardrums’ integrity. 

Having friends like them was something both Geonhak and San felt extremely grateful for, and they could tell that it was a gorgeous thing for the girls, too, who were surrounded by people that adored them and stimulated their most creative aspects: besides Seoho and Seonghwa, there also were Mingi and Hwanwoong, who taught the girls small dance steps with the greatest enthusiasm; Yunho and Keonhee, who took them around Seoul’s most beautiful parks and taught them the love for animals by making them play with their adorable, sweet, golden retriever; Youngjo and Hongjoong, who were trying to endorse the twins’ passion for art by taking them to galleries and making them paint or craft their very own clothes (of course, with their constant supervision); Yeosang and Wooyoung, who tried to give the girls their first singing lessons and organised lovely tea parties, during which the girls and them decorated biscuits, cupcakes and scones; Dongju and Jongho, who could spend entire days giving the girls new hairstyles, decorated with cute little pins and ribbons, and loved to play with them, by making pillow forts, giving them piggyback rides around the house and pretending to be knights saving the two princesses from imaginary dragons that threatened to siege their room. 

Basically, more than having many, loving uncles, Sooyun and Soojin were actually being brought up by a whole team of incredibly talented individuals, who wished to see them grow up as happy, serene and loved as possible, knowing that all of their interests would have always found their absolute support and that no dream would have ever been too big for them to accomplish, because they would have been there for them, no matter what.

For both San and Geonhak, being able to rely on all their amazing friends was way more than they could have ever hoped for, when facing the challenges of parenthood, and having all of them meant more than they could say.

That was why they cared so much to have such a huge Christmas celebration. They wanted to be able to say thank you. They wanted to be able to give back even just a glint of the magic that all of them had been giving to their family, from the first day the girls came into their lives.

  
  


* * *

  
  


While San was busy setting the table and Geonhak kept on stirring the mulled wine and checked the salmon in the oven, their doorbell rang. San was the closest to the hall, so he ran to the door and opened up. Yunho and Keonhee had just arrived. Earlier than agreed. Way earlier.

“YUNHO HO HO! Merry Christmas, everyone! We come with plenty of gifts for two very special and beautiful girls!” Yunho exclaimed, joyfully, with his signature smile.

“...And for their two very busy parents, too.” Keonhee added, winking at San.

“Oh hello there! Happy Christmas Eve! Come in, you must be freezing. Here, give me your coats…” San said, assisting them as they both got inside by taking their scarves and jackets and handing them two pairs of warm slippers. “Do you want some mulled wine?”

“Very gladly, thank you.” Yunho answered, following San to the kitchen, along with Keonhee.

“How are the preparations going? There is an amazing smell in here!” Keonhee exclaimed, as soon as they entered the room, staring at the trays aligned on the counter and stuffed with food to the brim.

“Pretty good, I’d say. Want to taste?” Geonhak asked, after greeting them, and without even waiting for an answer, placed two forks in front of Keonhee and Yunho. “Go ahead, there’s plenty of stuff anyway. I guess we have exaggerated a little with the quantities…”

“Nah,” Keonhee replied, as he promptly skewered one of the honey and butter seasoned potatoes and ate it whole, “You know us. We can never have too much food.”

“I swear, his metabolism is one of the greatest scientific mysteries of our times.” Yunho remarked, looking at his husband with a fond smile.

“Oh, trust me, I know.” Observed Geonhak, while serving them two glasses of his delicious mulled wine, which he had prepared by using a unique combination of spices and herbs. “Taste this. I’ve been trying to perfect my recipe, lately. This version incorporates the original herbal mix used in Italy since the XIV Century and is probably my best one, so far.”

“Oooh, spicy!” Keonhee said, after taking a sip, delighted. “I love the way it warms you up. And what’s this smell, cinnamon?”

“Guessed it!”

“Fantastic.”

After a couple more minutes, which they spent talking about work, the menu for dinner and their plans for the next few days, Yunho stood up and went to say hi to Sooyun and Soojin, followed, shortly after, by Keonhee.

“Hey, Keonhee and I were thinking that, since we came here early, and there is still light, we could take the girls to play with the snow. What do you say?” Yunho asked when he got back to the kitchen to finish his wine.

San and Geonhak looked at each other for a few seconds, before agreeing with Yunho’s idea: they knew they could rely on them, and, surely, playing with the snow would have made an even more magical Christmas for the babies, while they fixed the last things before dinner.

“Sure, I can’t see why not. Just give me a second, let me make sure they’re dressed warm enough before you go.” San replied, and left for the girls’ room, where him and Keonhee changed Sooyun and Soojin into warmer clothes, wrapped them up in their coats, put their shoes, hats and gloves on and tied their scarves tight enough around their necks. “Here you go, angels… Ready to go to build a snowman with Uncle Keonhee and Uncle Yunho?”

“Ready!” Soojin exclaimed, while Keonhee smiled, as he fastened the straps of the stroller around her chest and waist, and waited for San to fix those of Sooyun.

“We’re going to have so much fun!” Keonhee interjected, happily squeezing both of her hands in his own. “And I’m sure so will you two…” He then whispered in San’s ear, with a knowing wink that made him blush, before putting his own coat on and pushing the stroller along the hallway. “Come on, girls, let’s go! We have to build a snowman! Bye, old geezers!” 

“Bye guys, we’ll be here in a hour! And don’t worry, we’ll take good care of them.” Yunho reassured them, before pulling the door at his back, leaving San and Geonhak by themselves, in a now so oddly empty and quiet house.

“Did he just call us  _ old geezers _ ?” Geonhak asked, staring at San with a weirded out look on his face, in utter disbelief.

“Yup.” San replied, making his lips pop. “He did.”

“How very dare he. No more honey and butter potatoes for him.” Geonhak said, dead in the eyes, as he instinctively dragged the tray towards himself, in a protective stance, still wearing his heart print kitchen gloves, hemmed with pink frills.

“Absolutely.” His husband endorsed, putting the silver cloche on top of it. “So, what’s left to do?”

“Nothing much, really. The crab soup has to cook for another good hour and the salmon is done. We just turn off the oven and keep it warm until everyone arrives. Besides that, I think we have everything. The shrimps in the salt crust are ready, the fried eel needs to be cooked when everyone arrives or it’ll get cold, and the parfaits are in the fridge. I think we have everything.” Geonhak said, counting on his fingers the dishes, to remember everything he had prepared so far.

“Well then,” San softly purred, lips dangerously close to his husband’s earlobe, as he caressed his jaw with the sharp point of his nose, running it up and down, until Geonhak bent his head back, to rest on San’s shoulders, eyes closed and a muttered groan coming from his lips, “What now?”

“Hmmm… You know, I think we can come up with a couple ideas...” Geonhak answered, placing his hand on the back of San’s neck and pulling him lower, towards him, to kiss his lips, while his fingertips slowly crawled all the way to his nape and then slid in between his smooth hair, to caress his scalp. San loved that, and he knew. He could feel it in the way his skin trembled under his touch. He could hear it in the low, relieved moan that left his lips. When their lips parted, Geonhak opened his eyes, ever so slightly, and took his time to indulge in the breathtaking sight of San’s face, flushed by a soft, pink blush. 

San smiled and looked back at him, with glossy eyes, before kissing him again. Softer. Sweeter. Longer. 

“You’re so beautiful, love. So, so beautiful.” Geonhak murmured, as he sat on one of the stools and wrapped his arms around San, pulling him closer, in the middle of his legs, and hugging him tight. “You know, you really make me feel the luckiest man on Earth.”

“I’m a mess…” He replied, shyly, shaking his head and giggling at all those compliments, while he caressed Geonhak’s hair, with both of his hands, indulging around the back of his head with a delicate scalp massage.

“No, San, you’re not a mess. You’re anything but a mess. You’re the most perfect person in the world, who cares if you’re dressed to the nines or wearing a t-shirt stained with baby food, sweat and saliva. I don’t care. You are you, so magnificently you, so miraculously you, so flawlessly you, and I wouldn’t want you otherwise. Everything else is merely accessory and unimportant, in the light of your smile, of your glimmers eyes, of the beauty of your heart. You’re the love of my life. You’re always going to be the most beautiful man ever, to me.” Geonhak said, and he never looked more in love than he did now, caressing his back under the shirt, while he fondly stared at him with endeared eyes and a smile that glowed with pure adoration. “I love you so much, San. Every day, I find myself loving you more. Every day, I discover new reasons to cherish you with all of myself. Every day, I want to prove to you more just how much I adore you.”

“I love you too, my sweet, handsome, incurable sap.” San replied, snickering, but his lips got closed by a sudden kiss, and then laughed even more, when he felt his whole body being lifted by Geonhak, as easily as if he was a feather. For each giggle, Geonhak placed a kiss on his neck, on his chest, on his body, and the more he kissed him, the more San laughed, both amused and enamoured, until they both dropped on the bed, in a cloud of delighted snickers and more smooches echoing in the room.

“Mmmh… I missed having a little time alone with you, you know?” San murmured, locking his fingers with Geonhak’s and surging forward to kiss his lips, idly.

“Well… Why don’t we try to make the best of the time we have now, and then discuss how to make sure to have a little more of these moments later? Deal?”

“Deal.”

Then, Geonhak dragged San into his arms and playfully rolled on top of him, while nibbling on his ear, as he fought to take off San’s shirt, eventually giving in and pulling it off in a single, rough pull. “Gosh, this shirt…” Geonhak groaned, before sliding on San’s skin, inhaling his familiar perfume. 

“Stubborn, wasn’t it?” San replied, the best way he could, while Geonhak rubbed his thumb on his lips, letting him lick it, eagerly, and gently nibbling on his fingertip.

Geonhak tasted salty, and he loved it. 

He loved the way with which his skin’s taste was more prominent on his fingertips, he loved the uneven sensation of his fingerprints on his tongue, something so subtle to detect and, yet, which he found so much pleasure in appreciating. Careful as to not hurting him, San bit Geonhak’s thumb and sucked it in his lips, making him groan, making sure to coat it with his saliva, while sounding as filthy as he could. Geonhak had quite a thing, for having his fingers sucked, and San meant to exploit it as unscrupulously as he could.

Even more than being pleased by Geonhak, he adored pleasing him, and he meant to commit to giving him as much pleasure as he could.

“Mh-hm…” He hummed, in agreement, too busy dedicating himself to covering every inch of San’s body with his lips, dragging them along the curves of his muscles and peeking with his tongue in between, every now and then, leaving little traces that glistened, even in the darkness of their bedroom, and on which he got back to with kisses and bites.

Geonhak cared to not leave even a millimetre of his body untouched, in a slow, meticulous, sensual path, that traced from a sweet indulgence in the hollow of his collarbones, to a thoughtful outlining of the curve around his pectorals, all the way down to his abs, where Geonhak, firmly holding his hands around San’s waist, playfully nibbled on his muscles, only to end up licking around his belly button, while pulling in and out of his mouth the piercing San had.

As he kept on fidgeting with San’s piercing, using his teeth, Geonhak could feel his husband’s erection getting blunter and twitching against his own chest, eager for attention. Almost automatically, he laid lower, rubbing his chest against San’s cock, adjusting it in the socket of his pecs and gliding on it, up and down, subtly, trying to disguise his movements as a consequence of him trying to reach for San’s hips with his mouth, yet firmly enough to make him feel the friction and having him moaning for more, like a kitten. 

“How needy.” Geonhak groaned, voice hoarse, as he pinned himself up on an elbow, to look at San wincing so prettily on the bed, all disheveled and hardly able to keep himself together. 

“Delightful…” He added, while his spare hand reached for San’s shaft and started to stroke him, lightly at first, relishing at the sight of him gasping for air, in spite of such a delicate touch. “Let me just…” Geonhak whispered, getting lower and closer to San’s groin, making sure that he could feel his hot breath gliding on the tip of his cock, before he opened his mouth and took it within his lips, making them pop afterwards.

San arched his back, looking for a pillow to grab with his eyes closed, while his hips thrusted forward, involuntarily, as an unspoken invitation to suck him more. To touch him more. Hell, even to jerk him off, to fuck him raw, to make of him whatever Geonhak wanted. He was at his complete mercy, and Geonhak knew him too well to let all those hints slip from his attention. Gently, he wrapped one hand around San’s testicles and got down to take him all inside of his mouth again, caressing around the head and along the slit with slow motions of the tip of his tongue, while he loosened his lips’ grip around his girth, to allow his saliva to drip down and using it as lube to massage his balls, while he sucked him. 

San let out a loud moan, clenching his fingers around the blankets and thrusting inside of Geonhak’s mouth once more, needier than before. 

“Please… Love, please…” He begged, desperately whimpering and asking for more.

“Want me to blow you, kitten?” Geonhak asked, raising his face from San’s groin, with a smug smile on his lips, his chin glazed with saliva. “Will you come for me, if I do? Will you fill my mouth with all of your pretty come and let me use it to spread you up? Because I really want to fuck you to tears, afterwards, my filthy, little kitten…”

In spite of how he tried, San couldn’t even answer, too aroused and sensitive to speak, only capable to vigorously nod and mewl, as he bit his lips and his body winced, desperately. Before he knew, Geonhak had tightly wrapped his lips around his cock and taken all of him inside his mouth. The warmth almost made him melt, but it was the way with which he started to get down on him, so deep, lips firmly clenched around his girth, that took his breath away.

Every time he got down, Geonhak felt the veins under San’s smooth skin throb against his lips, while his tongue, wrapped around the tip of his cock, could taste the first drops of precum.

“So good… You’re so good… Oh, fuck, please, don’t stop… Fuck, Geonhak, yes, take it all… All in that pretty mouth of yours…” San whispered, like a prayer, as he bit and kissed the air, gasping and moaning and rocking his hips, one hand instinctively reaching for Geonhak’s hair, caressing him and pushing his head lower, to fuck his mouth better and deeper and faster.

He had missed it so much it almost felt overwhelmingly unreal, and he could that Geonhak had missed him too, by the way with which he was eating him like a main course, eagerly, every moan coming out of San’s mouth only motivating him to suck him harder, with the utmost dedication and an unquenchable thirst for his pleasure, that eventually exploded into the sweet, warm, welcoming cavity of his mouth, nearly choking him with endless waves of silky come. Out of habit, San tried to hold his loud moans in, violently biting his lower lip and digging his nails in the blankets, while his body trembled, shaken by shockwaves of static wildly running through his body, until he couldn’t take the pleasure anymore.

As promised, Geonhak spat out all of his pretty come on his still twitching dick and palmed it all the way down to his rim with his hand. He felt San gasp, under his touch, and indulged for a while in the sight of him tossing on the bed, while he gently tickled his hole with his fingertips. It looked so pretty, all pink and twitching, glazed with his own come, stretching around Geonhak’s fingertip and sucking it in, involuntarily yet eager for his touch. 

“Are you tired, baby? Was it too much? Do you want me to stop?” Geonhak gently murmured, words floating, like a warm breeze, from his mouth all along San’s stomach, as he slid his finger inside of San a little further and silently observed, in awe, at the way his body elegantly arched.

“No… ‘M not tired…” San mewled, delightfully overwhelmed by arousal and pleasure, still numbed and relaxed after that first orgasm.

“Oh, really?” He asked, with a sensual and sinful tone in his hoarse voice. “What should I do with you, then? What do you want, baby? Use your words and ask prettily, the way I know you can do.”

Before words came to his mind, San reached for Geonhak’s face with his hands and tenderly pulled his chin towards him, as an invitation to get closer. Geonhak surged forward, hovering over San as he leaned in for a messy kiss, after which San looked at him with a fiery gaze and whispered in his ear: “I… I want you to fuck me… Please, love, please… Fuck me now… Fuck me like you do…” 

There was a moment of tension, during which both hesitation and drive exuded from their eyes and saturated the air between their lips. Sparks flew between them, as they played for time, waiting for either one of them to take the lead. In the blink of an eye, their teeth clashed in open-mouthed kisses, hands frantically grabbed and scratched on bare skin, and breaths chased one another in a race unending, while their bodies couldn’t stand being parted from one another, skins melting one against the other, until they couldn’t take the anticipation anymore, both eager for immediate satisfaction to their needs.

“Lube, baby.” Geonhak ordered. After he squirted an unnecessarily abundant amount of lube on his hands, warming it up in his palms before he put his fingers to use, Geonhak laid down next to San. There, he took his sweet time, kissing his face and nibbling on his lips, while he worked his way around his rim. Though incredibly eager, he loved the prepping phase and gave all of himself to pleasing and teasing San. It was a moment of quiet before the storm, and Geonhak wanted to make every step of it count. 

It didn’t take him much to make San loosen up under his knowing touches, even more so now that his muscles had already relaxed enough and that he had abundantly lubed him up, but still Geonhak indulged fingering him a little longer. But San was not just ready for him to take over and give him more. He was needy. He was leaking. He was begging. He was craving. Without rushing or hurrying in the slightest, which made the wait even more excruciating, Geonhak bought himself on top of San, and there, ever so gently, he aligned his shaft to his hole, teasing him more, as he drew little circles around his rim with the head of his cock.

“Want it, baby?” He asked, rubbing his dick between San’s cheeks and relishing at the feeling of him unclenching at the slightest pressure. “Needy much?”

“Very… Very needy…” San replied, as he spread his legs even wider.

“Good” Geonhak whispered, before pushing his hard shaft inside of him, slowly, and pulling it out, again and again, teasingly. 

San tried to protest, with upset little cries, but it wasn’t helpful at all. If only, it made Geonhak snicker more and wait a little longer, before he eventually slid inside of him again, this time with a firmer push, tightly grabbing him by the hips and pinning him down to the bed, while he took control.

Control of the pace.

Control of the depth.

Control of the intensity.

And, God, did he love being in control.

There was something, in the way with which San trusted him and conceded himself to Geonhak, absolutely, with all of his heart, that was the sexiest thing he could have ever done and made Geonhak wish to earn that trust with every gesture he made. In bed, just like in their everyday life, he felt the most accomplished when he could provide San with everything he needed.

He pushed again inside of him, and nearly felt himself faint as San’s muscles unfolded and adjusted around his dick, welcoming him like he belonged. San was warm, gentle and delightfully malleable, as he followed Geonhak’s movements and seconded them with all of his body, rolling his hips for a better angle and wrapping his legs around his husband’s waist to pull him closer and penetrate him deeper.

Though he looked as sweet and innocent as ever, San had a way of moving on Geonhak’s dick that drove him wild. 

He made sure he’d understand how much he wanted him, with every fibre of his body, and yet had a completely contrasting sweet, meek look in his eyes, a delicate pink flush glowing on his cheeks and lips so adorably pouting, whenever Geonhak wouldn’t fuck him hard enough, that almost made Geonhak lose his mind at the sight. 

The moment San mewled and arched his back for more depth, Geonhak grabbed him by the knees and spread his legs open, pushing them lower, without even bothering being too gentle, and began to relentlessly pound inside of him. The moment he heard San panting under his thrusts, Geonhak only thrusted harder, feeling his cock swelling up and throbbing inside of San’s sweet, wet, pink hole.

“How do you like this?” Geonhak asked, through the gasps and the moans, while a drop of sweat rolled down his back. “Do you want more?” He groaned, pushing roughly inside of him.

“Yes, please… More…” San implored, rocking his hips forward and clenching his muscles around Geonhak’s hard cock. “I want you to come. I want it all… All inside of me… Want to feel you come and drip down my hole…” He replied, with the lewdest moan and the most honey coated voice he could muster.

Geonhak needed to hear no more: if his baby wanted him to come, then he had to give him what he wanted. And he had to give it to him immediately. He sunk his long fingers in the flesh of San’s hips, keeping him still, as he fucked him with every ounce of strength in his body, with a primal drive, as powerfully as he could, while moaning and biting his lower lip, fiercely aroused and seeking relief. Heat and blood flushed his limbs, as he indulged in the feeling of San embracing his wild thrusts so effortlessly and pliantly, growing burning hot and delightfully wet. When he heard San moan, again, he felt a twitch between his legs: he was reaching his limit, almost unbearably, painfully hard, and yet incapable of stopping himself from fucking him raw, inebriated by San’s beautiful expressions of pleasure, as he kept hitting his prostate, again and again, while desperately chasing his orgasm. Geonhak needed to have him all, right there, right then, to make him his once more, to fill him up and see him dripping white all over their bed and on his glossy, sweaty skin. Their bodies kept clashing together, feeding off of the wild appeasement they found in each other, sweating together, driven by the sound of their breaths, moans, sighs, and eventually screams, as they found their relief at the same time in an intense, breathtaking climax. 

Then, they flopped one next to the other, their bodies tangled together in a disheveled embrace, as they both gasped for air, quietly, still numb and tingling after the overwhelming moment of pleasure. 

“I love you.” San whispered, in a dreamy voice, as he idly traced swirls on Geonhak’s body and kissed his hands, lovingly. 

“I love you too.” Geonhak murmured, his voice a little raspy and lower than usual.

If sex was great, the moments of silent intimacy that followed, during which they would idly cuddle and lovingly take care of each other, were even more precious for the both of them.

In the darkness of their bedroom, after their passion had been consumed and they caught back their breath, Geonhak held San tighter into his arms. He closed his eyes, soothed by the calming feeling of his husband’s head lightly weighing on his chest, and tickled by his warm breath brushing on his skin. Geonhak loved to remain like that with San. It gave him the utmost sense of protection towards San. It reminded him of how much he loved him, of how he wanted to nurture him, to shelter him from all harm, to be a living shield for him against the suffering that life could bring, to give him the world at a snap of his fingers, to fight everyone and everything for his smile only, to adore him and care for him, as long as he breathed. San was his heart. His love. His family. Him and the girls made him believe in a kinder world, in the preciousness of life, in the beauty of existence. If his life had meaning, he owed it to them, and it was only natural that his nurturing, protective instincts would completely revolve around them.

“Shower?” Geonhak asked, feeling San’s bare skin getting chills, as both of their bodies cooled down.

“Hmmm… Five more minutes…” San replied, his eyes still closed, while he lazily curled up against Geonhak’s body, in an attempt to keep himself warm.

“Baby… Don’t be lazy… Yunho, Keonhee and the girls could be back at any minute now. We don’t want them to find us like this, do we?” He encouraged him, grabbing him a little tighter and blowing a series of loud raspberries on his neck, which made him laugh like hell and kick the air, as Geonhak lifted him up in his arms and took San inside the shower with him. They barely had the time to wash up and put on some clean clothes for the evening when the doorbell rang again.

“Hello, you! How was the snow? Did you have fun?” Geonhak said, cheerfully, as he opened the door for Keonhee, Yunho and their daughters.

“Daddy we missed you!” Chirped Sooyun, as soon as he picked her up from the stroller and took off her coat, scarf, hat and shoes, while San helped out Soojin.

“Daddy missed you too, princess.” Geonhak replied, pressing a loud kiss on her cheek. Then, he greeted Keonhee and Yunho with two more glasses of hot mulled wine. “Thank you, guys. I hope they didn’t bother you…”

“Are you kidding me? They’re a delight. We had lots of fun!” Yunho replied, grabbing the glass of wine and swallowing it in one blow. 

“And our best excuse to go and raid the whole Disney store.” Added Keonhee, showing two huge bags he was holding, handing one to a baffled San, “Here, these are presents for Soojin and Sooyun.”

“Really? Come on, this is crazy… You didn’t have to… You already brought them presents!” San replied, teary-eyed, as he counted the insane amount of plushies and other pieces of merchandise they just bought.

“What’s in the other bag?” Geonhak asked, genuinely curious, and Keonhee visibly blushed at his question, showing a mild embarrassment that was definitely not in his chords.

“More Olaf plushies for my sweet sugar pumpkin’s collection.” Yunho said, nonchalantly, pulling Keonhee in his arms and smacking a loud kiss on his cheek, while Keonhee didn’t know where to hide anymore, cutely squirming as he shied away. “What? Did I say something wrong? The world needs to know how adorable you are!”

Thankfully, to save Keonhee from self-combustion, the bell rang again and Mingi, Hwanwoong, Dongju and Jongho stormed in, bringing more presents for the twins. A few minutes later, it was Yeosang and Wooyoung’s turn, and, lastly, with a little delay, Hongjoong, Youngjo, Seoho and Seonghwa arrived as well, the latter ones coming straight out of work and with visibly tired faces.

Of course, Geonhak went to their aid with more mulled wine, which significantly lifted up their mood and helped them shake off the tension of the day.

When everyone was there, the dinner began, on the brightest note possible. Of course, they first made Soojin and Sooyun eat their dinner, helped by Hwanwoong and Dongju, who made funny faces at them, while San and Geonhak fed them all the homemade homogenised food they cooked for them. Then, to give the parents a little break, Wooyoung and Yeosang held the babies in their arms, much to everyone’s amusement: they loved to tell tales to Sooyun and Soojin in turns, making voices, interpreting all the characters, even making the environmental noises, but their performance was so over the top that everyone ended up being charmed by their narrative skills and vividly participating. Though it was a little crowded around the table, the food and the company made up for everything. When the twins threatened to start crying, because they were bored, or wanted attention, all of their friends intervened, in turns, to calm them down and bring a smile back to their faces: Seoho and Seonghwa immediately soothed them by singing Baby It’s Cold Outside, Mingi and Hwanwoong held them by their tiny hands to make them dance, Youngjo and Hongjoong played hide and seek with them around the living room, and so on, until it was time for them to unwrap their presents, before putting them to bed.

All the presents had been perfectly stored away from the sight of the twins and out of their reach, so that, when Geonhak got dressed up and came back into the living room, as an oddly buff Santa carrying an ungodly heavy sack on his back, Sooyun and Soojin almost screamed with excitement, of course endorsed by San and all of the others.

“Look! Santa is here!” San said, to the two girls, who looked at Santa Geonhak in awe. “Come on, let’s all thank Santa for being so generous, shall we?”

“Thank you, Santa!” Soojin said, grabbing one of Geonhak’s legs and hugging it tight.

“Does Santa want a cookie?” Sooyun asked San, at first, in a shy whisper.

“I don’t know, angel, let’s ask him, hm? What do you say?” San encouraged her and led his daughter in front of Geonhak, holding her small hand and almost melting at the softness of that scene. He smiled, fondly, realising that they were living their first Christmas together, as a family, and that they were making the most important memories of their lives. 

“Santa, do you want a cookie?” Sooyun then asked Geonhak, handing him a half bitten gingerbread man, which he picked up from her hands with a jolly “Thank you, little one!”

Then, Santa Geonhak pretended to leave, chanting loudly “Oh oh oh” and “Merry Christmas”, only to come back, as himself, a few moments later and fake shock at the sight of all those presents left on the living room’s floor.

The kids were ecstatic, as they unwrapped the presents and thanked everyone with warm hugs and tender kisses, but the moment they started to play with some of the toys, their first yawns appeared and their lids got heavy, too sleepy and drained after that exciting day. Before they could fall asleep on the pile of torn wrapping paper and toys sitting in front of them, San and Geonhak picked up the girls in their arms, excused themselves with their friends and went to put them to sleep.

When they went back to the living room, they noticed that it was completely enveloped by an inhuman silence, surely unusual for their loud, jolly lot.

“What the hell is going on in there? Did they leave?” San joked, entangling his fingers with Geonhak’s, naturally, like he always did, like he loved to do to feel him close.

“I mean, we would’ve heard them, I think.” Geonhak replied, amused at the ridiculous idea. “They better have left some parfaits, though. I didn’t get the chance to even taste it.”

“I would doubt it. They were delicious.” San snickered and immediately looked away, making a mental note to self to never tell Geonhak he alone actually had five parfaits.

_ Have yourself a Merry little Christmas,  _ they heard Jongho sing, as soon as they stepped back into the living room. There, all of their friends were standing in a semi circle in front of them, each one holding a candle and joining Jongho, each one with their unique, beautiful voice, to sing for them. San and Geonhak hugged each other, looking at the warmly lighted up faces of the people who had always been there for them, since their adolescence, and never left their side, during every step of their way to happiness and accomplishment, with their help, affection and endless support.

When they finished singing, Seoho, who was standing in the center, between Dongju and Seonghwa, handed the latter his candle and took a step in their direction.

“Of course, we know we all agreed on not making each other presents, this year, but… There is a thing we need to give you, and we wanted to do it all together. So, I think I am speaking for everyone in the room when I say we want to wish a very merry Christmas to the most awesome, capable and loving couple of parents in the world.” Seoho said, as he handed them a letter he had been keeping in a pocket inside of his blazer, tears surging at the corner of his eyes and hand shaking like crazy, mid air.

San looked at Seoho, then at Geonhak, then back at Seoho, then at the letter, confused, clutching his hands on his heart and trembling, like he was feverish, when he spotted the familiar, little logo of the Juvenile Court on the left upper corner of the envelope. 

Geonhak was not sure he was perfectly conscious, as he observed himself from the outside, in a sort of out of body experience, while he gently took the letter from Seoho’s hands and ripped its side, in a trance.

“Seoho, what the fuck…” Geonhak softly muttered, his vision blurry with the ones that he realised were tears only later, when they were already streaming down his cheeks, searing hot and stinging.

“Listen…” He objected, sniffing loudly and rubbing his eyes with both of his palms, but also smiling at the same time, overwhelmed with joy, “...I might have done one or two not perfectly legal thingies to let you have this tonight.”

“Let’s say people have gone to jail for less. Good thing your husband is a judge, right, honey?” Seonghwa said, stepping in to hug Seoho from the back and kiss his cheek.

“Wait, are those…” San tried to speak, but the words died down in his throat. It was so much, all at once, and even standing on his feet appeared to be an incredibly demanding task for him.

“The adoption papers? Yes, I believe they actually are. Or at least so they seemed to be when Seoho  _ totally casually  _ snatched them from the outgoing mail.” Seonghwa replied to him with a wink, before hugging San tight and ruffling his hair. “Come on now, don’t cry, little one! Don’t cry… It’s alright… It’s alright…”

“I know, I… I know I should be happy, but… We’ve prayed so much for this moment to come and now that it’s here… It seems unreal. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to cry, I thought I wouldn’t have cried when I played this moment in my mind…” San muttered, confused, dazed, shaken and overwhelmed.

When he lifted up his red, wet eyes and looked at Geonhak, though, he saw a mirror of his same emotions.

That same, unspeakable, indescribable, overpowering happiness, that annihilating emotion, that sense of relief deriving from the knowledge that their excruciating anguish was, at long last over, were written all over Geonhak’s face, too.

And when they collapsed in each other’s arms, in a poignant, moving embrace, San and Geonhak both felt the same love. The same comfort. The same awareness.

“We’re a family, baby…” Geonhak murmured, inaudibly to everyone else in the room, while he rubbed his hands around his small frame, head buried in the crook of San’s neck, inhaling his perfume to ground himself in the moment, to realise that everything going on was real, true and final. “We are officially, incontrovertibly, finally, a family.”

Then, Geonhak cupped San’s face in his palms and, for a moment, he lost himself in those bright, glimmering eyes, overflowing with love. They had made it, again. All of their patience, all of their struggles, all of their love for Sooyun and Soojin had eventually paid off, and now no one could have ever taken their greatest treasure from them. They wouldn’t have had to fear to lose their beloved babies anymore. They wouldn’t have had to fear for their family to be shattered anymore. They wouldn’t have had to fight against the endless bureaucratic procedures anymore. Their wait was over, and so was their constant terror. They could breathe. They could love. They could be. Fearlessly and peacefully, as they always deserved.

“Yes… Yes we are.” San replied, pulling him in for a kiss, to which all of their friends loudly cheered, feeling like there was eventually room for celebrating, that pathos was making way for happiness, again, and that they needed to make their participation in said happiness be heard.

“I suggest we make a toast.” Seonghwa eventually stated, while Seoho grabbed the flutes from the cupboard and a bottle of champagne, that San and Geonhak were actually saving for New Year’s Eve, from the fridge. “To family. To love. To justice…”

Seonghwa would have loved to go on with his speech, but his oh so lovely husband made the bottle cap pop with a thundering noise, that scared the shit out of everyone else in the room and nearly crushed the living room’s window, making all of them wince and then burst out in a loud, choral laughter.

“And to not committing crimes, unless your husband is a judge.” Seoho felt the need to point out, as a proper conclusion to that unbelievable night of perfect happiness.


End file.
